What an unlikely book! No wonder it has not yet taken the world by storm!
I loved it.
I hate to try to describe the book's plot because I don't think I can do it justice. I think I read the book mainly because I had a professor who summered on Monhegan, and perhaps also because a book set on an island seemed appealing. I didn't choose it because of its description because the story of a troubled family, narrated by its dog, didn't seem immediately compelling.
Three generations of a family live on Monhegan Island. The grandfather is a pastor; the uncle is a painter; and the grandson is only twelve. Although the father is a pastor there's little that's mild about him and his sons frequently compare notes and speculate about their father's plans and intentions. He's a master manipulator and they're a little bit afraid of him, too.
The story begins when the absent son/brother/father, Spark, decides that he has neglected his son too long, and must return home to try to grow/repair their relationship. Along the way, he steals a purebred Shih-Tzu from the back of an idling Mercedes.
This is quite shocking to the dog and to Spark's companion, but Spark cheerfully insists he loves the dog already. The dog, who narrates this tale, soon loves Spark in return.
The dog, now renamed Neddy, falls for Spark because he is sure that he can intuit that beneath Spark's sarcasm and banter is a wounded, sensitive soul who has buried his pain very deep indeed.
The charm of this book, in my view, is its narrator. Is it interesting and entertaining to know what the dog is thinking? It certainly is. But Neddy has a very unique viewpoint, equal parts affection, concern, loyalty, and a sure sense of self. Neddy is an avid and entertained observer of the family's dynamics, and seen through Neddy's loving eyes they become important and fascinating.
In the book's acknowledgements, the author thanks her agent for "letting me have what for" and thanks her editor for editing and offers as evidence of her devotion the news that she cut her favorite joke from the book at her editor's suggestion.
Kelly's humor and sensibility is what brings Neddy's irresistible charm to life. This is her third book: her others are Apologize! Apologize! and The Last Summer of the Cumperdowns. I hope she will write other books because the glimpse I've had of her view of the world is engaging.
I loved it.
I hate to try to describe the book's plot because I don't think I can do it justice. I think I read the book mainly because I had a professor who summered on Monhegan, and perhaps also because a book set on an island seemed appealing. I didn't choose it because of its description because the story of a troubled family, narrated by its dog, didn't seem immediately compelling.
Three generations of a family live on Monhegan Island. The grandfather is a pastor; the uncle is a painter; and the grandson is only twelve. Although the father is a pastor there's little that's mild about him and his sons frequently compare notes and speculate about their father's plans and intentions. He's a master manipulator and they're a little bit afraid of him, too.
The story begins when the absent son/brother/father, Spark, decides that he has neglected his son too long, and must return home to try to grow/repair their relationship. Along the way, he steals a purebred Shih-Tzu from the back of an idling Mercedes.
This is quite shocking to the dog and to Spark's companion, but Spark cheerfully insists he loves the dog already. The dog, who narrates this tale, soon loves Spark in return.
The dog, now renamed Neddy, falls for Spark because he is sure that he can intuit that beneath Spark's sarcasm and banter is a wounded, sensitive soul who has buried his pain very deep indeed.
The charm of this book, in my view, is its narrator. Is it interesting and entertaining to know what the dog is thinking? It certainly is. But Neddy has a very unique viewpoint, equal parts affection, concern, loyalty, and a sure sense of self. Neddy is an avid and entertained observer of the family's dynamics, and seen through Neddy's loving eyes they become important and fascinating.
In the book's acknowledgements, the author thanks her agent for "letting me have what for" and thanks her editor for editing and offers as evidence of her devotion the news that she cut her favorite joke from the book at her editor's suggestion.
Kelly's humor and sensibility is what brings Neddy's irresistible charm to life. This is her third book: her others are Apologize! Apologize! and The Last Summer of the Cumperdowns. I hope she will write other books because the glimpse I've had of her view of the world is engaging.
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